Mend My Broken Heart
by tiffywiffyfluffykitty
Summary: Lisanna died, and this time it's for real. Heartbroken, Natsu succumbs to grief, leaving Lucy, his best friend, to try to raise him up again despite her own anguish. As they depend on each other to overcome their sorrow, will feelings of friendship eventually become something... more?
1. Chapter 1

**I will probably make this only 5 chapters or something, but I don't know. It was originally supposed to be a huge one-shot, but with all I had planned for this fanfiction, it'll take me a while to finish. So... hope you aren't too disgruntled by the lack of NaLu so far. It's only the beginning. Review what you think so far :3**

* * *

**Chapter 1**

Lucy sat at her desk, a book in front of her and a full cup of hot chocolate nearby. She was dressed comfortably in a loose shirt and pajama bottoms and her hair was pulled up into a loose bun, multiple strands already escaping from the confines of the elastic band. It was 9:54 at night and the heavy rain lashed against the window, drumming out a frantic beat. Besides the rain, it was tranquil and soothing.

Then there was a thunderous crash. Lucy shot upright as the hot chocolate slopped over the rim of the cup as the entire apartment shook. "Who's there?" she yelled.

Someone ran up the stairs and her eyes widened to see Natsu, who was sopping wet, standing before her. Water poured off him, soaking the carpet, his hair was limp and his eyes were bloodshot. "Natsu! What happened! Weren't you with Li—" She was cut off as Natsu suddenly ran at her and wrapped his arms around her, his face buried in her neck. Her face turned a light pink. "N-Natsu, what are you doing?"

He shook several times. It was then that Lucy realized he was crying. "Natsu?! What happened?!"

"Lisanna…" He sniffled and held her tighter. "I-I couldn't… I wasn't—" He let out a low agonized wail and dropped to his knees, bringing Lucy with him.

She wrapped her arms around him as well, ignoring that he was soaking her clothes. "Natsu, take deep breaths. Calm down. Tell me what happened." She was beginning to become frightened. Natsu wouldn't be crying like this unless something very, very bad has happened.

"It's my fault," he moaned, his head sliding forward so that his forehead leaned against her shoulder. "I should've been faster. I should've taken it. I should've stayed near her." He shook his head, letting loose a sob that broke Lucy's heart. "It's all my fault…"

"Natsu…" Lucy tried to swallow, but there was a thick lump in her throat. "Is-Is Lisanna alright?"

He shuddered in her arms. "I'm sorry," he whispered in a voice filled with pain. "It's all my fault. I'm sorry." Natsu held her tighter. "Sh-Sh-She—" He shook his head again, unable to say it. "I'm so sorry…"

Lucy gasped, tears coming to her eyes. "Lisanna…," she choked out.

Natsu began to sob again and Lucy held him tighter, but he threw his head back and roared. The sky bellowed back in response.

Lucy's ears were ringing from Natsu's cry, but she kept her arms around him. "It's okay, Natsu," she whispered, the tears now sliding down her cheeks as she held her best friend in her arms. "It's okay…"

They held each other for the rest of the night, crying as Lucy tried to console Natsu through her own grief.

* * *

The funeral was held a week later. Natsu had fallen asleep in Lucy's arms and she had lugged him to the bed and plopped him down, tucking him in. For six days after that, he was catatonic, lying in Lucy's bed as she tried to coax him into eating something or to drink water. After the second day, she'd tried to threaten him, but to no avail. She tried sympathy by the fourth day, but by the fifth and sixth days, she simply sat next to him and stared at the wall, feeling her own sadness and grief.

By the end of the sixth day, Natsu somehow roused himself and stumbled out the door, much to Lucy's surprise. She followed him as he trudged to the guild, ignoring the looks at their disheveled appearance.

The guild was surprised to see the two of them together, but before anyone spoke, Natsu announced flatly, in a dead voice, "Lisanna's dead."

The uproar that day was heartbreaking. Denial was everywhere. Some asked Natsu if he was wrong, since they did think she died before, but was only sent to Edolas, but Natsu said, "I held her hand as she died. She told me she was sorry, then she closed her eyes and she was gone."

Lucy touched his shoulder with sympathy, but he didn't even look at her. Nearby, Mira was wailing into Elfman's broad chest.

Somber, everyone else sat back down, unable to look at each other. Several of them, like Cana, began drinking excessively. Others stared off into the distance.

Gray swore loudly and a second later, the table he was sitting at was flying across the guild. No one even glanced up as it broke into pieces against one of the huge pillars. He stared at Natsu, a heartbroken look in his eyes, but it wasn't for himself.

It was for Natsu.

Because the mission he and Lisanna were on… Natsu had intended to confess to her, much to the enthusiastic support of everyone. Lucy had been his strongest supporter; she'd spent hours telling him of different approaches he could use, compliments he could say, even going as far as to making him read several romance novels, much to his dismay.

Of course, people had thought that Lucy herself was in love with Natsu, but when asked, she replied, "Natsu's my best friend. Dating him would be like dating my own brother."

Natsu and Lisanna had departed a week and a half ago. Happy hadn't come along, deciding to give them their privacy, and had stayed at Lucy's house for a while until he went to Fairy Hills to visit Wendy and Carla. Now, the Exceed hovered nearby, unsure as to how to comfort Natsu.

Abruptly, Natsu turned around and stormed away. Saddened, Lucy watched him go, but turned back around when Master somberly said, "We will hold a funeral for Lisanna tomorrow." At a loss for words, he glanced over at Mira and Elfman, then sat back down and nursed a tankard of beer.

With the guild now at an overbearingly depressing mood, Lucy turned and left, heading back to her now-empty apartment. She stood, staring at the rumpled bed, then sighed and climbed in, breathing in a woodsy, campfire smell that she immediately knew was Natsu's. She closed her eyes and instantly fell asleep.

The next morning, she roused herself and halfheartedly chewed on a bowl of cereal before donning a plain black dress in her closet. Lucy walked slowly to the guild and from there, they all went to the Cathedral's graveyard.

Although there was no body to bury, since Natsu had buried Lisanna where she died, they all gathered around the gravestone and stood in silence, staring at it, remembering Lisanna.

No words were spoken and as they stood, the rain began to fall again. One by one, the mages left until it was only Lucy, Mira, and Elfman. Natsu hadn't come.

Lucy closed her eyes. She and Lisanna had instantly become friends after they returned from Edolas. For her to die so soon after they all just got her back…

She opened her eyes to find Natsu standing behind the gravestone, dressed in his usual outfit, his eyes dull and blank. With slow steps, he walked around to stand next to Lucy, staring down at Lisanna's grave. With a hoarse voice, he said, "Mira… Elfman… I'm- I'm so sorry—"

"No, Natsu," Mira whispered. "You did all you could. We don't blame you at all."

"'All living things eventually die'," Elfman said quietly. He turned and lumbered away, Mira following a few seconds later.

Natsu and Lucy stood together under the icy water. Neither of them made a sound, but when Natsu trembled, she looked at him. The rain concealed the fact that he was crying, but he couldn't hide the anguished expression on his face.

He fell to his knees again and buried his face in his hands, crying uncontrollably. Lucy, sensing that he wanted to be alone, put a hand on his shoulder, a finger brushing against his scarf, and removed it when he didn't respond.

She walked out of the graveyard, not even looking back when she heard him begin to wail. Briefly closing her eyes, she took several deep breaths, trying to get air past the icy lump in her chest, before continuing on her way.

That night, Lucy thought she could still hear Natsu howling out his grief to the thundering sky.


	2. Chapter 2

**This chapter is so short, but I wanted you guys to know about the bond Lucy and Lisanna had. This will be important later on, but no more spoils! Just review, enjoy, read my other fanfictions, and enjoy the rest of break! School's coming back soon! Oh, the horror!**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

The next morning was quiet. Lucy rolled upright and glanced around her apartment. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary, she strolled to the bathroom and halted in her tracks as she saw the limp black dress hanging over the tub. With a sigh, she took it down and filled the tub with water, intending to take a long bath.

As the water thrummed onto the blue tiles, Lucy closed her eyes and took another deep breath, still feeling the throbbing lump of ice in her chest. Her eyes watered.

Lisanna's death had shaken her. Although she wasn't as close to Lisanna as she was to Levy, the Take Over Mage had touched something within her.

She still remembered when Lisanna had confessed that she liked Natsu to her…

_It was a rainy day in Magnolia. The thick clouds hung in the sky, close to bursting with the impending rain. Many Fairy Tail mages have decided to stay home today and only a dozen had come to the guild. They sat, scattered among the tables, sipping beer or other drinks and speaking to friends or amusing themselves with other pastimes._

_Lucy sat alone at her usual barstool, reading a book as she sipped a warm drink and enjoying the peace and quiet; something quite uncommon in the guild._

_Lisanna, who had been watching her from a few tables away where she was sitting with Elfman, finally worked up her courage and nervously slid into the barstool next to her._

"_Um… Lucy?"_

_Surprised, the other girl looked up. "Lisanna!"_

"_Yeah. Um. I need your help?"_

_Curious and confused, Lucy blinked at her. "Well… how can I help you?"_

"_Uh…" Lisanna blushed, then squeezed her eyes shut and said in a very fast rush, "LucyareyouinlovewithNatsu?"_

_Gaping, Lucy stared at her. A tiny blush colored her cheeks. "Were you asking if I was in love with Natsu?"_

_Lisanna colored up and nodded. Lucy burst into peals of laughter. "No! Of course not! He's my best friend!" She smiled at Lisanna, who breathed a sigh of relief._

"_Oh… cause, well…"_

_Grinning, Lucy slipped a bookmark between her pages, closed the book, and leaned forward on her elbow, propping her head up with her palm. "You like Natsu," she stated, smirking._

_Lisanna nodded, blushing even harder._

_Lucy let out a squeal and embraced the girl. "Oh that's so cute!" She pulled back and grasped her shoulders. "You have to tell him!"_

"_Yeah. That's why I asked you if you liked him. I-I didn't want to get in between the two of you."_

_The blonde sighed. "Why does everyone think I like Natsu?" she muttered in an annoyed tone. "Mavis, he's like the brother I never had, not my crush."_

"_Who is your crush?" Lisanna asked, curious._

_Lucy blushed heavily and her eyes dropped. "Loke," she admitted. "But he has Aries so I decided to drop it." She sighed, but shot up once again. "But this isn't about me! How are you going to confess? Do you want to make it super romantic or is it just a simple confession?"_

"_The thing is, Lucy, I don't think he even likes me that way." Lisanna slumped sadly onto the counter. "I think Natsu loves you…"_

_But Lucy was laughing again. "Oh Lisanna. I can't believe you're so blind. Sure, Natsu _may_ have thought of me like that once, but after you came back, you should've seen the look on his face. It was like… like… I can't even describe it. But he loves you, Lisanna. Everyone can see it."_

_Lisanna blushed at her words, but there was a trace of doubt. "Are you sure? What if you're wrong and he actually likes you?"_

"_If I'm wrong, then I'll turn him own. But I really don't think Natsu likes me. I'm _sure_ Natsu doesn't like me." Lucy smiled encouragingly. "You should tell him soon. He isn't one to like to be kept waiting in the dark."_

_Lisanna laughed. "I'm actually kind of waiting for him to tell me instead."_

_Lucy groaned. "Ugh. Knowing him, he's probably too scared." She nudged Lisanna playfully. "But if or when he does, promise you'll tell me all the juicy details! I need a good confession scene for my book."_

_The two girls laughed and chattered as the skies finally opened up and the rain began to fall…_

_A week later, the two went on the mission that would seal their fate._

Lucy groaned, head falling forward until her forehead hit her knees as she sat with her legs up in the warm water. A salty drop slipped from her eye as she remembered. Her heart ached with compassion for Natsu and Lisanna, both of whom would never be able to tell each other that they loved one another.

And Natsu…

She sniffled. What she was feeling now had nothing on Natsu, Mirajane, and Elfman's pain. And Makarov and Happy and all those who knew Lisanna before.

Another tear slipped out of her eyes, then another and another. She curled up and sobbed as the skies began to rain once again.


	3. Chapter 3

**At the rate this fanfiction is going, I think it will be quite short: no more than about 10-12 chapters. Well, this was an emotional scene and if I managed to pass on a bit of advice, then I hope you use it wisely. Anyhoo, this might be a little heartbreaking for NaLu shippers, but I hope it won't be TOO heartbreaking. **

**Spoiler alert: after this chapter is the start of the NaLu stuff happening. Probably won't show for about two or three chapters, but it's happening.**

**Review~! :D**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

It was a full week before Lucy managed to rouse herself enough to stumble to the guild. Abandoning her usual attire of short skirts and fitting tops, she pulled on a pair of gray sweats and large light blue T-shirt before slipping her socked feet into sneakers and grabbing her Celestial Keys and wallet before leaving, not even bothering to dab make up onto her eyes, which were baggy with dark circles around them.

The guild was somber and quiet when Lucy entered. Mirajane and Elfman were nowhere to be seen and Kinana handled the bar in Mira's absence. Everyone seemed to be either drinking away their sorrows or staring down at their feet or the wood grain of the tables in steady silence.

The only other person missing was Natsu. Even Happy was here, sitting with half of Team Natsu and Juvia at a table. Lucy went to join them.

"He-Hello," she mumbled as she slumped into a seat next to Gray, who simply nodded once. Juvia also nodded as well.

Erza twitched her lips at Lucy in a poor attempt at a smile. "Good morning, Lucy."

"Morning," Lucy whispered hoarsely. She rubbed her eyes, still feeling like they were swollen from all the crying she did over the past week. "Where's Natsu?"

"Holed up in his cottage. No one's allowed to come close. If he even smells them approaching, well, he gets quite a bit destructive," Erza said. Lucy noticed that a few strands of hair have been charred off in an uneven clump. "How have you been?"

Lucy sighed. "I… I just feel so… guilty."

"That's ridiculous," Gray snorted, speaking for the first time. "Why would you feel guilty? You weren't even there."

"I don't know. I just… I gave Natsu the idea to go on a mission with Lisanna so that he could confess and-and if I didn't say—"

"Lucy," Erza interrupted gently. "This isn't your fault. Circumstances happen. You shouldn't blame yourself for something that you have no control over."

But Lucy's tears were dribbling down her face again. With a tiny sigh, Gray reached over and pulled her to him, letting her tears soak his plain red shirt as she leaned on his shoulder. Juvia didn't even snap at Lucy, but reached around Gray to put a sympathetic hand on her back for a brief second.

An hour later, Lucy finally stopped crying and sat up. "I should go see if Natsu's ok."

"Be careful!" Erza warned.

"Lucy, maybe you shouldn't. He's uncontrollable right now," Gray said, concerned.

Lucy shook her head. "He's in a lot of pain, but he needs someone with him. Besides…" She looked down. "I need to apologize. I'll hopefully feel less guilty if I do."

"Want me to go with you?" Gray asked, still worried.

She smiled sadly. "I'll be fine." With that, she turned and left the guild.

* * *

The forest surrounding Natsu's house was filled with charred and fallen trees. Burn marks were everywhere and there were scattered fires that smoldered inside of large craters gouged out of the ground.

Lucy gingerly stepped around the ruins, approaching the harmless-looking cottage that sat in the midst of all the destruction. She approached the door, took a deep breath, and knocked.

The door creaked open under her hand, not by magic but by the fact that it wasn't locked, and she stepped in.

The interior of the cottage was worse than before, and that was really saying something. It was dark and dim and Lucy had to carefully pick her way to the back of the tiny place so as to not break an ankle or trip and fall into a pile of ruined garbage.

She found Natsu huddled in a corner, his head buried in his arms, his scarf lying a few inches away, as if torn off of his neck in rage. His vest and shorts were the same as ever, although she could see little tears in the fabric, and he was barefoot.

Lucy hunkered down into the minuscule space next to him and touched his shoulder with a gentle hand. He didn't even twitch. "Natsu."

He didn't reply, and with a tiny sigh, she sat next to him and stared at the far wall, which held what used to be the kitchen. Instead, dented pots and pans hung crookedly on the wall and the sink was filled with everything from rubble to dirty plates to articles of clothing.

Casting another look at an unmoving Natsu, Lucy stood and began to clean his cottage, wanting something to do to take her mind off things. It took the better part of the day and the sky was a rich indigo when she was finished. She turned on the lights and fixed up Natsu's hammock and turned to Natsu, who still hasn't moved.

"Come on, Natsu, I'll treat you to fire food tonight," she said softly.

He didn't respond and Lucy sighed, disappearing into the clean bathroom to relieve herself and wash her face.

When she came out, she actually took a step back in surprise when she saw that Natsu had climbed into his hammock, facing the wall as it gently swayed back and forth like a cradle.

Lucy smiled sadly. "I'll be going now. I'll come back tomorrow, alright?"

Natsu once again didn't talk and she sighed and turned off the lights before going out the door, leaving the cottage in total darkness.

* * *

Early the next morning, Lucy had gone down to the grocery store and stocked up on food stuffs for Natsu. She had a feeling that he won't eat if someone doesn't tell him to, and she was right: the Jewels that she had left last night with a note saying that he should use them to buy dinner was untouched and she replaced the money in a box of Natsu's savings from his jobs.

"Natsu! I'll make omurice!" she said in an attempt to be cheery, even as the lump of ice continued to fester within her. "Remember I cooked it for you once and you said you really liked it?"

The boy didn't respond and Lucy hummed tunelessly to herself as she prepared breakfast. When the food was done, she loaded Natsu's plate, leaving a little for herself, and placed it on the table. "Natsu, come on! The food will get cold!"

He ignored her and she, frowning, tugged on his arm, trying to roll him out of bed.

"Leave me alone," he snarled. Lucy blinked in surprise. This was the first time Natsu has spoken to her in a while.

"Natsu," she sighed. "You can't mourn her forever. I know you two were in love, but you need to live as well. I'm not saying you should move on immediately, but you can't mope around in your house and not face reality. Let her go, Natsu. It'll do you no good—"

"Shut up," Natsu growled menacingly. "Shut up! SHUT UP!"

He whirled around and leapt off his hammock so that he was standing right in front of Lucy, glaring down at her. It took everything in Lucy to not take a step back as she saw the anger in his eyes.

"You don't know ANYTHING!" he roared at her. "I LOVED LISANNA! SHE WAS EVERYTHING TO ME!"

"I know that, Natsu," Lucy interrupted.

"No you don't! If you do you wouldn't be telling me to move on. I've lost her once and now I've lost her again! You don't understand how that feels!"

"I don't know how that feels? Alright, sure I don't, but I know just as much as you do how it's like to lose someone!" Lucy spat, getting angry herself. "I lost my mother, I lost Aquarius, and now I've lost a good friend of mine. You're not the only one messed up over Lisanna! How do you think Mira and Elfman are feeling right now?"

"It sure as hell isn't like what I'm feeling! It's all my fault! If I had taken that blow for her she…. Lisanna would be here…" Natsu reeled back and pressed his hands to his face. "It's my fault… I…Lisanna…."

He began to sob into his hands and slumped into the ground. Lucy stared down at him, tears collecting on her eyes. With slow steps, she walked to his side and knelt, wrapping his arms around him. "It's not your fault, Natsu," she whispered. "Believe me, when Mama died, I blamed myself for not noticing sooner. When Aquarius was gone, I blamed myself for not being stronger. And now Lisanna is gone, I blame myself for giving you that idea to go on that mission. I still blame myself, but from what I've learned from losing Mama and losing Aquarius, blaming myself won't change anything so it's better to just let it go and live your life. Lisanna would've wanted that." She choked and the tears flowed down her cheeks. "So, please Natsu. Don't do this to yourself."

Natsu let out a whimper and his arms came around her waist, his face buried in her shoulder. He cried, loud heartbreaking sobs that prompted Lucy to cry as well. They cried together, not quite letting go just yet, but accepting that Lisanna was gone once again.

The omurice lay forgotten on the table.


End file.
